Indian court sentences Ram Rahim for rapes; high security to prevent violence tainted guru to spend 20 years in jail
sect leader to appeal against the verdict; uneasy calm prevails in cities
rohtak (India) — An Indian court on Monday sentenced a controversial spiritual leader to a total of 20 years in prison for raping two of his devotees, days after his followers went on a rampage that left 38 dead.
The riots broke out on Friday when Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, 50, was convicted of raping the two women at the sprawling headquarters of his hugely popular Dera Sacha Sauda sect in the northern state of Haryana in a case that dates back to 1999.
“He has been sentenced for 10 plus 10, which is a total of 20 years of imprisonment,” said Abhishek Dayal, spokesman for India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), after the sentencing hearing.
“I have the judgement which details the sentence.” A lawyer for the victims earlier said that Singh had been sentenced to 10 years in jail. In fact, he was given two consecutive 10-year sentences.
Authorities had imposed a security clampdown on the city of Rohtak where Singh is being held due to fears of a repeat of Friday’s violence, when tens of thousands of his supporters set fire to cars and clashed with security forces.
Police were taking no chances on Monday in Rohtak, where roads were barricaded with barbed wire and soldiers deployed to man checkpoints.
A judge was flown in by helicopter to sentence the convicted spiritual leader. —
rohtak — An Indian judge sentenced a sect leader, whose followers went on a deadly rampage after he was convicted of rape last week, to 20 years’ jail on Monday, but a shoot-to-kill order, curfew and heavy police presence kept protesters at bay.
The sect chief was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in each of the two cases of rape. Both sentences will run consecutively, the sect chief ’s counsel S.K. Garg Narwana said.
Tens of thousands of police enforced a lockdown in large parts of the northern states of Haryana and Punjab where Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, 50, has a mass following.
Media reports said Ram Rahim broke down and asked for forgiveness with folded hands when the sentence was read out. He then refused to leave the court room, in the jail library, said the report. He had to be forcibly taken away by jail wardens to his barrack.
While Ram Rahim’s counsel argued for leniency and minimum punishment saying that he was a social worker and had health issues, the CBI counsel sought maximum punishment given his conduct. The prosecution wanted the case to be treated as “rarest of the rare”.
To avoid more trouble it was decided that CBI Judge Jagdeep Singh should pronounce the sentence in the jail, rather than bring Ram Rahim back to his court in Panchkula, near Chandigarh.
Singh arrived in Rohtak in a helicopter, landing on a helipad near the jail located on the outskirts of Rohtak.
Police in Haryana issued orders to shoot protesters on sight ahead of the sentencing and ordered the hearing to be carried out inside the prison where Singh was being held.
Hundreds of followers went on the rampage when he was convicted on Friday, attacking train stations, buses and television vans.
At least 38 people were killed and more than 200 injured, triggering criticism that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party, which also governs the state of Haryana, was either unable or unwilling to act.
Most of the dead were shot by police who had opened fire to quell the protests.
The case dates back to 2002 when two women followers accused Singh of rape at the headquarters of his Dera Sacha Sauda organisation in the town of Sirsa. Singh, also known as the guru of bling for the bejewelled costumes he wears in self-produced films, faced a minimum of seven years under new tough rape laws.
Singh’s lawyer, A.K. Panth, said his client was innocent and would appeal. Vipassana Insaan, a spokeswoman for the Dera Sacha Sauda, urged Singh’s followers to respect the court’s order.
“Our legal battle will not end here. Our client is absolutely innocent,” said Panth.
Indian TV channels reported that Singh broke down after the sentence was passed and refused to move out of the court room, saying he was innocent.
The prison in the town of Rohtak, 66km from New Delhi, was transformed into a fortress, with journalists banned from approaching within a mile (1.6 km) and roads were lined with barbed-wire barricades. On Monday, Dera Sacha Sauda followers set two vehicles on fire at Phulkan village near the sect headquarters on the outskirts of Sirsa town, minutes before the sentencing. Security forces rushed to the area to control the situation. Security deployment, including army and para-military forces, continued around the two campuses of the sect near Sirsa.
“We are in control of the situation. We have shown restraint so far. Some dera followers are still present inside the sect headquarters,” V. Umashamkar, Commissioner, told media. Curfew continued in affected areas of Sirsa district.
V. Umashankar, a special commissioner in Haryana, said a curfew was in force in the town of Sirsa and parts of Rohtak.
Nirmaljit Singh Kalsi, an official in Punjab, said paramilitary forces were patrolling public places to maintain order.
“We will not withdraw forces today...the situation can easily go out of hand even now,” said Kalsi.
Singh’s conviction in a rape case is the latest in a series of cases involving spiritual leaders who have been accused of sexually abusing followers, amassing untaxed money and finding favour with politicians.
The case has highlighted the Indian heartland’s fascination with spiritual gurus, who enjoy immense influence for their ability to mobilise millions of followers.
Singh claims more than a million followers on his website.
Singh also faces charges of murder in two separate cases and is accused of castrating 400 men inside his ashram. —
Mujhe maaf kar do (forgive me)... Main begunah hoon (I am innocent) Gurmeet Ram Rahim